Drop the Meal Plans

You know those meal plans that we are told will “change our lives,” “help us get skinny,” “work with your busy life,” BLAH, BLAH, BLAH? Well, I have news for you: those meal plans DO. NOT. WORK. (At least in a healthy way; sorry to burst your bubble!)

I have tried them all. I have failed over and over again, only leaving me to feel like a failure and forcing me to feel as if something were wrong with ME. “Why can’t I follow this meal plan like everyone else can?” “Why aren't I seeing the results that other people are seeing?” “WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?”

I am here to tell you the truth about these meal plans, why they don’t work, and why you should opt-out of these toxic money making schemes.

I have seen diet and meal plan commercials since I was a child, constantly being told how to get that dream body. Of course, I was always interested. As a child, I was always larger than my friends; I was insecure and would give anything to look “pretty.” I can’t be the only one, right?

My obsession with my physical appearance began in middle school, eventually leading me to my five year struggle with bulimia. I was determined to lose weight, and I didn't care how I got there. Whether it was only eating 600 calories a day, purging all my food, or over exercising, I was determined to do it.

This leads me to the first problem with meal plans—they don’t care what effect they have on you mentally, as long as you get you the physical results you want. Unfortunately, the creators of these meal plans don’t have your best interest in mind. They simply care about making as much money as possible, which they do by exploiting insecurities they themselves help create. This includes “diarrhea” tea, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and anything similar. They aren’t interested in developing life-long healthy eating habits; they exist for you to fail and return.

That leads me to my next point: these meal plans aren’t SUSTAINABLE. It is not realistic to follow a meal plan for your entire life. For me, developing a healthy lifestyle is all about finding a way to live a balanced and, therefore, healthy life every single day. Most of the time, these meal plans cost A LOT of money. You pay a certain amount each month to either receive your meals or receive your new plan that tells you exactly what to eat each day. Are you learning anything from this? Most likely, NO. Who wants to be on a meal plan for the rest of their life? I sure as hell don’t. I would rather learn what is nutritionally GOOD for my body, what makes ME FEEL GOOD, & learn how to live a life of BALANCE.

Balance is so important when it comes to finding a lifestyle you DESERVE and that you LOVE. While some of these programs allow you “cheat days,” they normally make you feel bad about it, only allowing you to eat those foods you love once a week or whenever they tell you. What is the fun in that? And, by calling it a “cheat meal,” they are making us feel bad for eating those foods, like we are cheating on a loved one or, in this case, yourself. Rather, by restricting yourself, you are only setting yourself up to fail.

Here is some PFWC math to help you better understand this:

RESTRICTION = BINGING. BINGING = REGRET. REGRET = PURGING. PURGING = EATING DISORDER. EATING DISORDER = UNHAPPY AND UNHEALTHY.

I encourage you all to DROP THE MEAL PLAN and, instead, listen to your body and eat the foods you love in moderation. Not only are you going to be less stressed, happier, and more enjoyable to be around, you are actually going to LEARN what works for you—that is the best thing you could ever do for yourself.

If you’re interested in learning more about the non-traditional nutrition guide we use in PFWC: At-Home Transformation, please feel free to get in touch with me! I would love to help you find your healthy relationship with food because you DESERVE that.